We have newspeak (1984), a lethal version of “soma” (BNW) and ignorance of history (AS) --three key elements of those three novels. Is life imitating art?
Time for hard assets. Should we expect more failures even if the government does make the SVB depositors whole? Are we the Weimar Republic on a crucial step on the road to fascism? Are the WOKE going to invite the Chinese to run our farms and factories and annihilate capitalists?
We’re governed by incompetent fascist wannabes. Hitler was a madman. Don’t make us wait long for your survival advice, please.
Jim, today's news matches your predictions. I wonder in light of the post-SVB development, how you would immediately deploy cash? Still short term notes/cds paying 5%, or something else entirely? It feels like the landscape has changed, but perhaps in your view actually the landscape has remained the same. As you write, SVB "in the same category as last September's UK pension fund crisis and the FTX blowup." So perhaps SVB doesn't alter your fundamental views at all.
I have deployed cash in brokered CDs. These are FDIC insured up to 250k. But I think you can go over that limit if you have lots of cash, for same reasons I expressed in my piece: failure to pay out cash for deposits could cause widespread panic, and the Fed-FDIC-Treasury troika will not risk that. You could also deploy cash in money market funds that invest only (or mainly) in treasury bills and Fed repos. Last I checked these were paying interest > 4%.
Atlas Shrugged meets Brave New World plus 1984?
We have newspeak (1984), a lethal version of “soma” (BNW) and ignorance of history (AS) --three key elements of those three novels. Is life imitating art?
Time for hard assets. Should we expect more failures even if the government does make the SVB depositors whole? Are we the Weimar Republic on a crucial step on the road to fascism? Are the WOKE going to invite the Chinese to run our farms and factories and annihilate capitalists?
We’re governed by incompetent fascist wannabes. Hitler was a madman. Don’t make us wait long for your survival advice, please.
Thanks, Ilene. As a start on the "survival" front, be sure to see my last podcast (with transcript attached): "Why Everyone Should Own Gold."
https://jim3c5.substack.com/p/why-everyone-should-own-gold
Yes, that of course.
Excellent points
Jim, today's news matches your predictions. I wonder in light of the post-SVB development, how you would immediately deploy cash? Still short term notes/cds paying 5%, or something else entirely? It feels like the landscape has changed, but perhaps in your view actually the landscape has remained the same. As you write, SVB "in the same category as last September's UK pension fund crisis and the FTX blowup." So perhaps SVB doesn't alter your fundamental views at all.
I have deployed cash in brokered CDs. These are FDIC insured up to 250k. But I think you can go over that limit if you have lots of cash, for same reasons I expressed in my piece: failure to pay out cash for deposits could cause widespread panic, and the Fed-FDIC-Treasury troika will not risk that. You could also deploy cash in money market funds that invest only (or mainly) in treasury bills and Fed repos. Last I checked these were paying interest > 4%.
Looking forward to all those explanatory essays and podcasts...
I'll try to meet your expectations!